The Rise of Skywalker is a mega epic conclusion to the iconic Skywalker saga that needs to be digested in more than one sitting.
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*disclaimer: this review may contain spoilers, do not proceed to read beyond this point if you want to stay spoiler-free and not have your opinions altered in any way. You have been warned.*
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
The dead speak! The galaxy has heard a mysterious broadcast, a threat of revenge in the sinister voice of the late Emperor Palpatine.
General Leia Organa dispatches secret agents to gather intelligence, while Rey, the last hope of the Jedi, trains for battle against the diabolical First Order.
J.J. Abrams returns to the director’s chair for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth and final film in the Skywalker saga. He also shares writing credit with Chris Terrio. The story finds Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Chewbacca (Joona Suatomo), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) teaming up once again to track down a device that will lead them to Emperor Palpatine, who they hope to defeat to save the galaxy from Sith rule once more.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a lot on its shoulders. Not only does it have the herculean task of tying up an epic franchise spanning 4 decades, it also has to soften the blow among fans dealt by Rian Johnson’s polarising contribution to the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Perhaps its because of the latter that The Rise of Skywalker ended up doing so much fan servicing that it almost seems.. too much? Not that this is a complaint because the film only really began to pick up when the characters from the original trilogy started making their appearances/cameos - Luke, Han, Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles to name a few. And if you pay very close attention, you might even hear some very familiar voices during Rey’s final confrontation with Palpatine. It's hard not to catch James Earl Jones' iconic voice but according to IMDB, some fan favourites like Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz, Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson who all played Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu at some point in the franchise could also be heard!
Despite being a big mess of mass destruction for most of the film, Abrams still manages to fit in some serene sequences in the midst of all noise and action, sequences that stand out as some of the best parts of the film. Kylo Ren/Ben gets a beautiful moment in with his parents, resulting in yet another villain redemption arc in the franchise. Some might even say his redemption was better than Darth Vader’s.
Safe to say, too much happens in The Rise of Skywalker for one person to digest in one take and will definitely require a second viewing or more.
One other thing’s for sure though, regardless of how good or bad a Star Wars film is perceived, no other film in history will leave a big impact the way the Star Wars franchise has with its opening crawl. Especially paired with John Williams’ iconic score.
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